Who's Exploiting Whom On Cam Sites?
from the disturbing dept
Salon has an article discussing the phenomenon of "cam sites" where young girls post their diaries and pictures of themselves. Where it gets questionable is that many include "Wish Lists" that random people send gifts to. Not surprisingly, some folks in the article compare it to pornography of sorts and wonder if people aren't getting carried away. Others make it sound as if this is a completely natural way for girls to grow up - comparing the sites to personal diaries from pre-internet days (which is a reasonable explanation - except that no strange, significantly older men are buying gifts for young girls due to their personal private diaries). The funniest quote is from a guy who helps run a portal of these sites after he gives a long, convoluted defense for why these sites aren't so bad for the girls (something about them realizing the power of their sexuality). Following that he says: "I don't know if I'd want my 14-year-old daughter doing that, if I had a daughter." Of course, articles like this give lots of fuel to the folks who seem to think the internet is only good for pedophiles and other dangerous types.
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